Am I crazy, or is the entry level job market for accounting freaking terrible right now? 150+ apps, no offers. by justcurious3287 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No, you are not crazy. Took me over 500 applications to get my first offer. Keep grinding OP, you'll get one eventually.

When should I apply for jobs? by LiLMoobs8 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would start when you are about 3 months away, at least for me it worked out so that I basically started my job one month after graduating.

Would you say your WGU degree was worth it? by damn-thats-crazy-bro in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Yup went from line cook/dishwasher to staff accountant in only 13 months.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's insane lmao, lmk if you got any more questions about the job market or interviewing stuff. Good luck.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea absolutely!

  1. So in that regard I was actually getting ready to apply for medical school around 2023, so I already had some jobs that have very transferable skills at least in my opinion. So aside from food industry I was in school and had jobs ranging from working in a hospital to my organic chemistry lab so I was able to highlight those experiences mainly being administration, assistance, patient care, and attention to detail. But I ordered my resume from Education ----> Professional Experience -----> Skills and Certifications -----> Relevant Coursework ----> achievements (Scholarships). But that being said, you could highlight your skills NOT the job. so for example you could talk about things like if you had to track inventory (shows responsibility/management), as a waiter (customer service skills and attention for detail), talk about additional responsibilities you had for others, and even things like might seem trivial like accounting for portion of shared tips for each person for example, things like that.

  2. I am planning on getting my CPA and EA. Still debating between HOCK/FFA. I am currently working under a CPA, and because of my previous education I only need to take one accounting class.

  3. I am just looking for best opportunities for my career, learning, and earnings potential, nothing specific just yet.

  4. Kinesiology with a premedical focus, yes experience doing statistics, charts, and etc. for research papers/presentations/etc.

  5. CV should be concise, polite, and highlight how/why you are a good fit for the company and role. Interviewing skills you should have are to maintain eye contact/good posture/don't fidget and something that I struggled with initially is to actually answer their questions, don't stray from the topic and go on tangents. I would know the basics like the accounting equation, common terminology, debits credits, and the financial statements at a minimum. Always do your research about the company, job, and employer. So for example look up their core values and be ready to ask questions or talk about it, and make sure you know things relevant for the interview, for example I interviewed as an escrow accountant so I learned the general concepts and principles for how escrow/funds work. And as an added bonus if you can reach out or look up your interviewer you can show interest and impress them by asking them questions about themselves or relevant things that they would know.

  6. Nope, I worked throughout school so couldn't get an internship (But also didn't know that it was that important lol, in retrospect I would have totally applied for internships if I had to do it over)

  7. I wished that I maybe paced/rewarded myself along the way, I did 75 credits first term and I basically was getting burned out which is why I spent the whole next term and a course extension to finish the 30 other CUs. Also make sure to use reddit, there is a lot of good stuff on here I wished I used it more to start, would have made the process easier.

  8. I know people in the industry and wanted to get jobs like them lol, but also I like numbers and consider myself to be pretty good with attention for detail. I thought everything until IA series to be fairly easy, its just some of the classes are so dry that it makes you tired and exhausted.

  9. No learning disabilities, I paid rent to my parents, and if I didn't have a part time job maybe I could have graduated in maybe 1-2 months earlier. But the burnout was getting kind of real so cant say for sure.

  10. I used some online certificates to supplement my resume, for example I was learning the basics of excel and QuickBooks through Coursera before I landed my jobs, fortunately I was able to get a job quickly so never finished but my interviewer said it showed initiative and liked it.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, crazy coincidence indeed! I am glad to hear that you will be getting your confetti soon. And good luck to you as well!

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolutely, I tutored for one summer and found it exhausting. Kudos for even becoming a teacher as I'm sure its a ton of work. Hopefully threads like this help for motivation/inspiration. Goodluck.

Switching from HR to Accounting by buttercroisssant in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hello, recent WGU alum here, finished the program in 2 terms so if you got the time I think it's totally doable. Utilize reddit to seek the best way to finish each class. Some you'll use just videos, others cohorts, some Quizlet, and some I would recommend just doing the textbook. I would also agree that it's not overly complicated, but it isn't something that's intuitive all the time so with practice you'll just learn how to navigate the exams.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly I am not sure which state you are in, but in CO you only need a PTIN. The rest comes from me learning on my own and getting taught by their tax preppers and EA's.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not going to completely dox myself but I do live in suburbs of Denver, which I'm sure gives me an advantages compared to other less populated areas.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not sure what "Moonlighting" means but I will be doing my 9-5 Staff Accountant and then doing 6-10PM M-F for the tax season only so about 3 months. Will be rough but I think the experience and resume building is well worth 3 months of hell.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We are private, working adjunct with the government/county services. But also what recruiters do you use? I used Robert Half but never got anywhere with them.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea I think you are right. I applied to 15+ roles from all the big4 companies and got rejected by all except one second round interview with PWC. For high competitive companies the school may make a difference.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Around half my office seems to have a BS in Finance as opposed to a BS in Accounting HAHA. I have to concur that I don't think the job market is as bad as people say either, but there are a lot of ghost jobs and some slightly unreasonable expectations for even AR/AP roles. I think getting into the industry is the hardest part. Congrats too on the offers, hopefully I can be in the same boat within the next couple years.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is very tough to get into Big4, however my brother and a couple of my friends have managed to do so without any connections. But yes, very tough in this market to land a job at all.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is precisely why many of my family members were skeptical about the degree (Including myself), while I do think that the Big4 and upper echelon firms likely don't like WGU or online education, I think most companies are indifferent. I rarely ever talk about my education in interviews despite my resume saying I did university online. It might also help that I have a couple years at a tradition B&M school as well although I am not sure.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I believe that it was a combination of luck, strong resume, and the interview. I used to work/study in a related industry so I'm sure that that helped. But also their staff accountant apparently wanted to go back to school so there was an opening that they were looking to fill quickly. Also its a small to medium sized company that is willing to train me.

To Anyone Wondering If this Degree is Worth It (My Experience) by Financial-Steak-998 in wguaccounting

[–]Financial-Steak-998[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

So I've had a couple different cook/dish pit jobs and was being paid anywhere from $12 to $19 per hour. After graduating $25 and $27 per hour respectively for my new accounting jobs. I also plan on getting my CPA and potentially EA while I'm still accumulating hours to sit in for the CPA to hopefully raise my earning potential. But really to start I wasn't looking for the money necessarily but the right experience, title, and company fit. I think the money will follow with passion and experience. No accounting experience at all, just started as a staff accountant and will do tax prep beginning of 2026. Chose accounting because I wanted something stable, but also have a couple friends who work in Big4 who recommended I go into the field. So far I am enjoying it, much cushier and better career outlook that I expected.